About

WARBLER WOODS

A Nature Preserve

Susan & Don Schaezler, Margie Bonnes – Owners

What is Warbler Woods? We seem to be getting that question a lot lately–Warbler Woods is private property, which we manage as a bird and wildlife refuge and preserve. It covers 126 acres of varied habitat covering Pecan Gap sediments with gently rolling topography. We are near the convergence of three Ecological Regions: South Texas Plains, Blackland Prairie, and Edwards Plateau. We are also near the Post Oak Savannah region. We are about 4 miles down dip from the Balcones Escarpment, at the northwest corner of Guadalupe County.

The Pecan Gap formation underlies our land. In some places the marl is present at the surface. This is a soft rock with enough clay content to prevent the rock from being completely hardened and erosion resistant. However, it is competent enough to retain fossils. In most areas we have a few inches to a few feet of black clay, derived from the calcareous rock in the area. Many of the stones present at or near the surface are chert with a limestone veneer. These apparently have eroded from Edwards Limestone from the Edwards Plateau above the escarpment.

Because of the proximity to several Ecological Regions, we have varied habitat and a diverse plant community. We have recently completed a comprehensive plant list, with the help of several well-known botanists. With their help, we added 100 or so new plants to our list, many of which have not been previously documented in Guadalupe County. Our plant list is over 220.

This diverse plant community attracts, hosts, feeds, and protects a wide diversity of wildlife. We have a property list of about 230 bird species, including 36 species of Warblers. We get western and eastern birds, as well as birds edging north, like Common Pauraque, or south, like Common Raven. We have growing lists of butterflies and dragonflies. We have a number of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. We have seen Bobcat, Ringtail Cat, and Gray Fox, along with the more common mammals.

We have items of archaeological interest, including Native American stone artifacts and an old cistern, apparently dug by the earliest German settlers.

We don’t charge to visit and only ask that you leave a list of what that you find. We welcome individuals and/or groups all the time–the easiest way to contact us is via email. No, we aren’t selling anything either — we just enjoy sharing nature. We are also fairly handicapped accessible. You have to make arrangements to get through the gate, so please make sure you contact us first, for permission to come. We have a weather station on our property, so we have real-time weather conditions–if you scroll to the end of that section, you will see a radar map that has our location marked.

Directions

Trail Map

Location & Weather